The Voice of Cities and Regions in the UNFCCC Climate Process

The first NDCs are not fully compatible with the Paris Agreement because they were all prepared before its adoption; in other words, they did not address key goals like multilevel action, climate neutrality and 1.5°C targets. That is why the success of COP26 depends on the new and ambitious NDCs to be prepared before COP26 by all nations in collaboration with local and regional governments. "Multilevel Action COP" is indeed the motto of the LGMA COP26 Roadmap.

Serving as the second meeting for the Parties to the Paris Agreement, the 25th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP 25) focused on raising ambition ahead of 2020, the year in which countries are expected to update their national climate action plans and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The convention aimed to fully operationalize the Paris Agreement, as well as showcase and amplify the climate actions undertaken by cities, regions, business, investors and civil society.

COP24 was a powerful example of how multilateral systems can overcome unforeseen shocks and produce tangible results. The Convention concluded with the adoption of the Paris Agreement Work Programme, also known as the “Katowice Rulebook,” which explicitly details the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Although some technical details were pushed to next year’s COP, the essential components for delivering multilateral climate action are now in place.

For the first time, the SB session put multilevel dialogue on their agenda. The session, co-organized by the Bureau of the COP24 Presidency and ICLEI - as focal point of the LGMA Constituency - in collaboration with the UNFCCC, was titled "Driving Change Together: Special Joint Event on Multilevel Climate Action Focusing on E-mobility and Adaptation."